The Marital Experiment (AKA Two Choices)
by nonsenseandtwaddle
Summary: Started off as 'two choices', but developed into something bigger :) Sheldon and Amy are experimenting on their friends again... but they didn't expect what was to come..
1. Chapter 1

Sitting on her couch, with Sheldon inches from her, she had two choices. Do I kiss him, or do I walk?

*earlier that day*

It was a Saturday, and Amy had spent the morning tidying up her apartment as she was having the gang over for dinner later. Everyone was dressing up and bringing wine, so she was excited to be the host for once at one of their get togethers. Whilst she was setting up her table with forks and knives and preheating the oven, all she could think about was Sheldon. He'd been acting distant for the past few weeks, seemingly reverting back to his usual self with her. He didn't want to go out, he had stopped holding her hand at the cinema and he outright hated the 'formal' dinners the gang put on. She didn't feel like a girlfriend anymore. More like a friend who's a girl, like they were before the relationship agreement. But unlike two years ago, she was bothered by it. She knew Sheldon could be kind and considerate-she just wished he showed it more often.

She pushed these thoughts to the back of her mind as she began making dinner from scratch-lasagne with garlic bread. She'd mainly chosen it because she knew Sheldon enjoyed it when she'd cooked it for him once. But, it was pretty simple to make and that's what she wanted.

Putting the lasagne in the oven, she went to check her phone. She had a message from Penny:

"Hi Amy, Sheldon keeps saying he doesn't want to come tonight. I'm obviously giving him hell but you know Sheldon xx"

Amy sighed. She had expected this from him, but she didn't think he would go around telling everyone else he didn't want to come. At least her bestie was 'giving him hell'  
Amy texted back:

"Is there a reason he doesn't want to come? xx"

Within a minute Penny replied:

"He says he's got work to do and some crap about needing to sort out his socks xx"

Amy could feel anger rising inside her.

"Tell him that if he doesn't want to come, text me. And I want a real reason why xx" Amy angrily typed back to Penny. She decided to take her mind off things by sorting out what she would wear tonight.

Five minutes later, as she was setting out her outfit on her bed, she heard her phone ring. She picked it up and found Sheldon was calling her. She gulped and answered.

"Hello?"  
"It's Sheldon"  
"I know"  
"Oh"  
"Is there something you wanted?"  
"Um..yes..I'm really busy so.."  
"You can't come tonight?"  
"Yes, exactly"  
"I don't believe you"  
"What?"  
"This isn't because you have work. It's something with me, isn't it?"

"Look Sheldon, if it's something I've done then I'd like to know"  
"It's not you"  
"Then what is it?"  
"...I have to go, bye" and he hung up.

Amy stared at her phone. She felt sad now, because whatever it was, Sheldon didn't feel he could tell her. Did he not trust her? Amy felt like they had a very open relationship where each person had the right to express their opinion. Maybe not.

7 o'clock came, and the gang, minus Sheldon, arrived at her apartment. Everyone was in good spirits, joking and chatting about the days events. All the time, no one mentioned Sheldon.  
Dinner went well, everyone praised Amy for her lasagne. They ended the night by sitting in the living area drinking wine and discussing their weeks events.

Soon enough, everyone left one by one. Penny and Leonard took a tipsy Raj home and Howard and Bernadette left shortly after. Closing the door behind them, Amy let out a sigh. She was happy, because the night had gone so well without any arguments and everyone had a good time. But she was confused. No one had mentioned Sheldon. Not even when Leonard was talking about his latest achievement, someone would typically say 'if Sheldon was here...' But they didn't. It was as if he didn't exist.

She began to clear up the glasses and plates into the sink when there was a knock on her door.  
'Maybe someone left their coat or bag' she thought as she looked around the room whilst walking to the door. She opened the door and there stood Sheldon. She looked up to his face; it looked tired and sullen.

"Hello" was all she could say.  
"Hi" Sheldon looked at his feet.  
"..would you like to come in?" Amy asked  
"If that's ok with you" Sheldon replied  
Amy opened the door further and let him in. He walked straight to the sofa and sat down.  
Amy shut the door and sat next to him. They sat in silence for a moment until Sheldon spoke up.  
"I came here to apologise"  
Amy snorted "Did Penny make you do this?"  
Sheldon looked up at her "no, of course not"  
"Oh"  
"I came to apologise for the way I have been acting. I have not been my usual self recently but that doesn't mean I should be the same with you"  
Amy sighed "I thought we could trust each other. If you weren't feeling yourself then why didn't you come to me?"  
Sheldon looked at the floor and Amy realised why.  
"It's about me, isn't it?" She said  
Sheldon nodded.  
'Ok, that explains a lot', Amy thought.  
"So why are you here?" Amy asked "you're not just here to apologise?"  
Sheldon looked up "you are correct"  
Amy nodded "just say what you are feeling, I won't say anything until you are finished talking"  
This seemed to slightly relax Sheldon. He gulped and began:

"I realised that the reason I haven't been feeling myself is because of how good our relationship is. We've been getting closer and closer and whilst I am very fond of you, it seems we're getting too close, too soon. I guess my reaction to this was to avoid all closeness with you. But, when I was talking to Leonard and Penny, and how they told me you were nothing but concerned about me, it made me think. All this time I have been the worst boyfriend ever, anyone else would have left. But you didn't. Even when I made up excuses to not to on dates or hold hands, you understood"

"All I've wanted to do is hide, run, not take on the world. I know it didn't make sense to you how it could make things better for me, but I think I knew you'd understand. I was sure of that when I called you tonight and yes, I could tell you were angry but you didn't force me to come" Sheldon stopped and took a deep breath.

Amy was stunned. Sheldon had just understood everything she was going through with him. Yes, she knew they were closer, she knew it was too much for Sheldon. But she knew to understand him. That's why she didn't push him. It was only tonight that it had finally got to her.

"Sheldon, I understand" she said "I know we're moving on and I know this is hard for you. It's hard for me too, you know. I'm on the same boat as you. But I want you to be honest with me. Yes, I'll understand if you don't want to touch or do anything special, but you need to let me know, ok?"

Sheldon nodded "agreed"  
Amy smiled "ok, now that's sorted, what do you wish to do?"  
"I think I want to kiss you" Sheldon said  
Amy laughed "bazinga?"  
Sheldon looked at her "no, I'm very serious"  
"And why is that?" Amy asked  
"Because I feel I owe you it after the past few weeks"  
"So you don't want to do it, it's just for my benefit?" Amy asked  
"Well I'm not sure yet. We've only kissed twice before"  
Amy was stuck. Of course she wanted to kiss him, she wanted much more than he'd ever know. But it didn't seem right. Sheldon didn't seem to want to do it, more of it was an obligation to his girlfriend. She didn't want that. But maybe kissing him would be the breakthrough that Sheldon needed to realise them being close was not something to fear, rather enjoy.

**What should Amy do?**  
**Let me know in the comments!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks for the wonderful reviews! I was actually unsure of what to do but I'm pretty happy with this chapter. It may be a bit OOC but whatever, it's fanfic. Anything can happen!**

Amy stared into Sheldon's brilliant eyes. They were the kind of eyes that you could get lost in. She wanted to kiss him, so badly. But it couldn't just be her who wanted it. Sheldon Cooper had to want it to.

"Sheldon?" She queried  
"Yes?" Sheldon inched closer to her.  
"Whilst I am very happy that you apologised and want to make things up to me, I'm not sure a kiss will do that"  
Sheldon leaned back a bit "how come? I thought kissing was a substantial way to show no hard feelings between a couple"  
"Yes, that's true, but it won't be the same if you're doing it just for me. I need to know you want this too" she stared back into his eyes which were becoming dilated. Was it fear? Anxiety? Desire? She couldn't tell.

Sheldon felt his heart pounding. He was pretty sure it was the build up of a panic attack, but when he looked at Amy and saw how logical she was being, not just giving into her urges, it made him even more curious. What would it be like for him to kiss her? How would he react when it was totally mutual? The thought of his made his heart drum faster.

"Amy, I can tell you now, honesty, that there's nothing I'd rather do now than kiss you. Unless the pounding in my chest and elevated heart rate is the early stages of cardiac arrest, which would mean-"

Sheldon was struck off by Amy's lips pressing against his. He closed his eyes like he had done the two times prior and within two seconds felt her pull away. He opened his eyes to face Amy, who's eyes like his own were now wide and dilated.

"Sorry..Are you having a cardiac arrest?" Amy asked  
Sheldon could feel his heartbeat slowing, but when he felt Amy's hand on his it elevated again.  
"Unless there's a correlation between cardiac arrests and physical contact?"  
Amy laughed "nope, I'm afraid that's just plain old feelings"  
"Feelings?" Sheldon scoffed "I'm not a man of feelings"  
"Ok then, man with no feelings" Amy sat up straight "tell me now, what do you want to do"  
"I want to do that again" Sheldon said quietly, completely unaware that he was letting his heart and those feelings he didn't want to feel make his choices for him.

This time, he initiated the kiss. Their lips met and, being the novices they were, kept it like that for some time. Sheldon closed his eyes and could hear his pulse in his ears, like it was a signal from the brain to stop. But he couldn't. It was too exciting, different.

Then, Amy took her hands and placed them in Sheldon's. He felt his hands tingle with delight. Then he couldn't breathe. He leaned away slowly from Amy, their hands still intertwined.

Amy was smiling widely.  
"Well, that was fun" Amy said  
"Remarkable" Sheldon replied  
"It's 11 o'clock" Amy looked at her watch  
"Oh" Sheldon sighed  
"What?"  
"I actually had Leonard drop me off the minute he came back from yours, promising I would be no more than 5 minutes"  
Amy chuckled "I'm sure he'll understand"  
Sheldon checked his phone. Nope.  
"He said that he had better things to do than wait for the Shamy to sort out their issues when he has Penny waiting for him at home"  
"That's a man controlled by his desires" Amy commented  
"Don't I know it" Sheldon replied "just so you know, I'm not planning on telling anyone of this"  
"How come?" Amy asked  
"Because it's an intimate part of our relationship"  
"Sheldon, we _kissed_.."  
"And that to me is intimate"  
Amy smiled "alright, I'll not say a word either"  
"Thank you" Sheldon stood up and got his jacket  
"Wait, how are you getting home?"  
"I'll get the bus" Sheldon said somewhat nervously.  
"I can give you a lift" Amy said  
"Not judging by the amount of wine bottles sitting on your kitchen island" Sheldon was a safety conscious nugget at times.  
"It was mainly Raj" Amy said, "I'm fine"  
"All right, I trust you" Sheldon opened the door as Amy grabbed her keys.

As they walked down the stairs Sheldon told Amy about a conference that was taking place tomorrow in San Francisco. All the notable physicists from CERN were going to be there.  
"I'd love to go" Sheldon said as they entered Amy's car "but I'll compromise and watch the keynotes on the Internet"

Amy turned on the ignition "then why don't you?"  
Sheldon turned to face her "what?"  
"Go. Why not? It's only a 6-7 hour drive. You'd be there by morning and it's a Sunday so no work"  
"But who would take me?"  
"I will" Amy said  
"Really?"  
"Yes" Amy was serious  
"So you're just saying 'hey, lets be spontaneous and just drive all night to a conference where we have no reservations, no schedule?"  
"Yep..like 'anything can happen' Thursday..except its a Sunday"  
Sheldon stared out into the road. Left would take them to his apartment. Right would take them to the freeway.

**Should they go?  
Let me know in the comments!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Once again, thankyou for the reviews! Enjoy chapter three :)**

"You sure?" Amy asked once again to a deep in thought Sheldon.

"Yes" he nodded, and so Amy turned left. To his apartment.

The ride was as silent as the road. Amy typically didn't drive this late so the journey to Sheldon's took no time. She turned off the engine.

"I'll wait in the car" Amy said

"Ok, I'll be as quick as I can" Sheldon hopped out of the car and into the building. Practically skipping up the stairs, he couldn't believe what he was doing. Out of the blue, nothing planned; just a quickly packed bag of necessities and a snack for the ride. What had Amy done to him?  
He entered the apartment and found Leonard was spending the night at Penny's, which he preferred as he didn't have time to answer his questions. He found his emergency bag which already had two outfits in it with toiletries. He was sure this wasn't an emergency but at least he was going to be using it. That would show Leonard. Grabbing some red vines from the kitchen and his coat he left the apartment as it was before.

Amy was setting up her sat nav as Sheldon entered the car once again. Once Sheldon had decided to go she had ran back into her apartment to pack a bag (and to give Sheldon some extra time to make sure he knew what he was doing), so they were ready for the seven hour drive.

"If we put in toilet stops, traffic etc, we should be in San Francisco by 7am, meaning we have time to find a hotel, freshen up and be at the conference for 10am" Amy said

"I'll look for hotels on my phone whilst we are driving" Sheldon remembered he had a car phone charger so this wouldn't be an issue.

"Excellent" Amy smiled, turning out of Los Robles apartments and onto the road to San Francisco.

"I can't believe I'm doing this" Sheldon muttered to himself.

"Me neither" Amy smiled "it feels..exhilarating"

"My thoughts exactly" Sheldon confessed "driving through the night to another city, without much thought"

"Yep, we're real free spirits!" Amy grinned

"Shall we tell the gang?" Sheldon asked

"Of course, but I was thinking.." Amy smiled coyly

"What?" Sheldon looked at Amy

"Maybe, we don't tell them were at the conference. Maybe we conduct an experiment like we did before"

"Go on"

"How about we tell them.." Amy's eyes lit up "we're going to Vegas to get married!"

Sheldon couldn't help but choke at the thought "I beg your pardon?"

"Like I said, its an experiment. We text them all the same message and record their responses"

"..how does the mind cope with unexpected news?" Sheldon thought out loud.

"Exactly!" Amy said

Sheldon laughed to himself "it would be funny to give them a bazinga to wake up to"

"Can you imagine their faces?" Amy pondered.

They stopped at a traffic light. Amy turned to face Sheldon.

"What have you done to me Amy?" Sheldon looked at her "first I'm abruptly going to San Francisco, now we're lying to our friends that we're getting married?"

Amy didn't know what to say. So, she just winked.

"You vixen" Sheldon replied.

**Ok, so no ending choices. But I'd like to know..how do you think each of the gang would react to hearing the Shamy we're getting hitched in Vegas? Let me know!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry it's been so long! However, I took all the suggestions and hope you enjoy this gang filled chapter! Don't worry, Sheldon and Amy will be back soon :)**

Bernadette was awake quite early for a Sunday, however today was the christening of one of her cousins and so she had to drive an hour away to the church. Knowing she was expected to be there around 9:30am, she set her alarm for 7am, giving her plenty of time to get ready. However, it wasn't her alarm that woke her up.

She awoke to a text message. Putting on her glasses and sitting up, she found she had a message from Amy.

"Oh my God!" She shouted.  
Beside her, Howard practically leapt out of bed in shock, his hair ruffled and dazed.

"What is it? Is someone in the apartment because I have weapons I'm not afraid to use" he blurted out.

"Sit down" Bernadette said "you have a pretend gun that shoots confetti"

"Well what is it?" And so Bernadette told him.

"I think I'm dreaming! I am aren't I?" Was all he said.

-  
Leonard was asleep in his apartment at this time, blissfully unaware of the freak out Penny was having just an apartment away.

"Leonard! Leonard!" Penny came charging into the apartment and ran to Leonard's room, practically falling onto his bed and on top of him.

"Get..off..me!" Leonard choked. Penny calmed and stood up,

"Sorry sweetie but I'm just freaking out right now" she gave Leonard his glasses as he sat up.  
"Have you not seen it?" She asked impatiently.  
"What?"  
"Look at your texts"  
Leonard's phone was on silent so he had not heard the message from Sheldon come through ten minutes ago. He read it, his eyes getting wider until they were tearing.

"Ok, I think I've woken up in a parallel universe. Or someone built a time machine, stepped on a bug and changed history"

"You know what? That seems quite likely right now" Penny stared at her phone. "You think the others know?"

"I don't know" Leonard looked at his clock "wait..it's 7:09!"

"I know! I'm shocked I'm up too!" Penny nodded "but I left my phone onto charge last night and it woke me up. I usually leave it, but it was like something told me to pick it up, you know? A sense"

Leonard stared at her, bemused "ok, I haven't got time for your fortune, feelings crap. We need to work out what the heck is going on" he began to get out of bed.  
"You call Bernadette, I'll call Raj" he instructed.

The yelp of a small dog from the living room woke Raj that morning. He trudged through to Cinnamon who was repeatedly barking in her bed.

"What is it Cinnamon?" He looked around the living room and saw his phone was lit up.

"So you're a watch dog now, huh?" He ruffled her ears as she settled down "you're so smart" he said in a high pitched voice.

He picked up his phone to find three missed calls from Leonard and a text message from Sheldon. As he was about to check, his phone rang again.

"Hello?" He said  
"Oh God, Raj, thanks for picking up after four attempts!" Leonard somewhat yelled down the phone.

Raj began to panic "what is it? Has something happened? I'm no good with this stuff!"

"Hush Raj! It's about a text message from Sheldon and/or Amy"

"Oh yeah I saw that but I haven't read it, why?" And so Leonard told him.

Leonard finished speaking. Silence.

"Raj?" He said

"So that's it? No reception, no dress, no decorations!"

"Wait, what?"

"I'm insulted that they didn't use me as their planner! Their own friend!"

Leonard clicked onto what Raj was saying "that is NOT important right now! They didn't tell any of us! And now?" Leonard couldn't get any words out. Just then Bernadette and Howard entered the apartment "look just come down to mine, we're all here" he told Raj.

"Alright" he hung up and walked to his room "so..the Shamy are married..Sheldon is married..before me!?"

-  
At 7:30am, a confused and bewildered Penny, Leonard, Howard, Bernadette and Raj were sat in the apartment. All still waking up, everyone was pretty silent.

"So..we all got the exact same text" Leonard spoke up. Everyone nodded.

"Ok, let me go over this again" Howard took out his phone and began to read the message:

_'Dear Howard,  
I have messaged you at this early hour to inform you of mine and Amy's nuptials that took place late last night in Vegas. After a long discussion we felt our relationship was ready to progress. We are staying here until tomorrow so we shall see you then._

_Sheldon'_

Penny shook her head "I don't think I buy it" everyone looked at her.

"And why's that?" Leonard asked

"It wouldn't happen. Sheldon is not the type of person to just decide to get married on a whim, it's not him!" She stared at the group.

"that's the thing, it's not Sheldon. But he's been acting weird for the past couple of weeks, especially tonight" Leonard countered "this could have been what was on his mind when he made me drive him to hers and didn't ask me to pick him up" Now he wished he'd not ignored that last fact and actually waited.

"And we know Amy would never turn down an offer like that" Bernadette pitched in.

"Hm, I'm still unsure" Penny took her phone "maybe we should give the newlyweds a call?"

"Ooh good idea" Raj said "then I can give them smack for not including me and I will persuade them to have a party I can plan when they get back"

"Dude, give it a rest" Howard rubbed his eyes "it's too early for another drama without you going into hysterics"

**So the next chapter will be..the phone call! Do you think Sheldon and Amy will be able to keep up the charade for science? Let me know!**


	5. Chapter 5

**I am loving the love for this story! Thank you so much for all the reviews, follows etc :) Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

It had been 32 minutes since Sheldon and Amy had sent the message to their respective readers. Both were sat in Amy's car, having just arrived at a hotel near the conference in San Francisco. Sheldon had found a hotel that had a vacancy (and met his preferences) on their drive from Pasadena. The drive was pleasant, in that there was no traffic so Sheldon didn't seem to over stress. He actually fell asleep at around 2am, leaving Amy with the road and her thoughts. She couldn't believe that a) they were heading to San Francisco without so much as a thought, and b) they were going to tell their friends they were married. She found it both scary and exhilarating at the same time. Maybe this is what Sheldon needed to conquer his fear of the unknown.

Sheldon awoke three hours later, as the sun was rising. He complained slightly about the aches and pains in his neck, however he couldn't exactly blame Amy for that. Instead, he asked her about their location and if they were stopping anywhere.

"I believe there is a service station a few miles away, we could stop there?" Amy did want a rest, she had been driving for 5 hours.

"Of course, I don't want you falling asleep at the wheel" Sheldon agreed.

So, they turned off freeway and spent half an hour in the services cafe. Amy gulped down coffee (which Sheldon refused, after telling her of the last time he had drank it), whilst Sheldon began putting their experiment into place.

"Ok, I believe I have a suitable message we can send to everyone" he said to Amy "I was thinking I send it to Howard, Leonard and Raj and you to Penny and Bernadette"

"Good idea' Amy said 'makes it more believable' Amy looked over the message Sheldon had wrote, changed a few of the words to make it a bit more informal and they decided to send it at 7am exactly. This created the illusion that they had been in las Vegas and spent the night, then waking up and sending the text.

"We can time how long it takes for us to get a response" Sheldon commented as they went back to the car.

"I bet 15 minutes" Amy said

'Five, and it will include a message from Howard wondering if we have had coitis" Sheldon countered

'Deal' Amy shook his hand. In reality, they were both wrong.

'Ok, it's been fifteen minutes and nothing' Sheldon smirked at a tired Amy.

"Then neither of us won" she said

However, they were not disappointed. Fifteen minutes after that, Sheldon's phone began to ring.

'Amy, it's Penny' Sheldon turned to Amy who was now asleep, leaning against the window. Sheldon didn't know what to do. It was their experiment, and he wasn't the best liar. Even so, he had to answer.

"Hello" he said as normally as possible, although his voice was slightly croaky.

"Oh hey Sheldon!" Penny's voice chimed through the speaker to his ear.

"Would you please not shout, it doesn't do anything for my hearing"

"She's shouting because you're on speakerphone" Leonard spoke up.

Hm, he'd not expected that.

"Well, good morning all" he said quietly "I'm sorry if you have trouble hearing me, it's just Amy is asleep and I don't want to waken her"

"I think we know what that means" Howard said suggestively down the phone.

'I was right' Sheldon muttered to himself

"What?" Penny said.

'Nothing" Sheldon spoke up "I'm assuming that you called for a reason"

"Yeah, we were just wondering...um..WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU DOING?" Penny yelled.

Beside Sheldon, Amy had stirred from the conversation taking place and felt very confused.

"You mean now? I'm talking to you" Sheldon replied calmly.

Amy sat up and pointed to Sheldon to put it on speakerphone.

"NO I DONT MEAN THAT! WHERE ARE YOU AND WHAT HAVE YOU AND AMY DONE?!"

Amy tried to contain her laughter at Penny's outrage.

"Well..I think I explained it all in the message" Sheldon couldn't look at Amy's smirking face or he wouldn't be able to hold it together.

"Yeah yeah the message" Leonard joined in "It's just a bit..._crazy_ don't you think?"

"I don't see why not" Amy decided to help out "It's probably one of the most..romantic things ever"

Everyone went silent.

"Amy!" Penny said "Is this true? Please tell us because we're all confused!"

Amy didn't know what to say. They had all the evidence they needed; it was clear people when given unexpected news react in different ways; some go though denial, some are angry, some ask questions. But her friends seemed really concerned, which touched Amy. Before she could say anything, Sheldon had spoken.

"Yes, it's true, Amy and I are married and we are in Las Vegas. We decided that we wanted to move our relationship forward and because we already trust each other and know each other so well, it seemed pointless to go on as boyfriend and girlfriend"

Sheldon said it so passionately that Amy actually believed they were married; or maybe it was the sleep deprivation.

"Right, well.." Penny was lost for words "Congratulations" was all she said.

"Thanks bestie" Amy said cheerily.

"Will you be back soon?" Penny asked.

"Tomorrow" Sheldon said "We are going sightseeing today"

"Ok..well, keep in touch" Penny said

"We shall, goodbye" Amy said

Everyone on the other end said goodbye and the call was disconnected. Amy and Sheldon were sat in silence.

"Well, that..went well.." Amy looked up at Sheldon.

"I know, I was sure I was going to say something to mess it up" Sheldon rubbed his eyes.

"Let's go get some sleep" Amy took his hand "We have a busy day ahead of us"

"We do" he smiled as he remembered the real reason they were here.

"So, what do you think they'll be up to now?" Amy asked as they took their bags and walked to the hotel.

"I'm thinking they will still be in shock. I can't imagine they are happy about it"

"How come?"

"Well, I'll think Leonard and Raj will be jealous that I was married before them, Howard will complain about how this was a bigger ordeal than his wedding, and the girls will be annoyed you took off and didn't tell them"

"Since when were you so clued up on social science?" Amy asked wryly.

"Ever since you came along, Amy" Sheldon smirked "I've done a lot of different things since I met you"

* * *

"I called it" Penny smirked as she hung up. Her acting skills had come in handy for once.

"What? It's true" Bernadette said.

"Nope, I'm even more certain they're lying" Penny felt quite clever for once, as everyone around her stood blankly.

"How so? Sheldon can't lie" Leonard pointed out.

"Because.." Penny took her iPhone and opened the _'__find my friends' _app. On the screen, she had the location of both Sheldon and Amy's phone. San Francisco.

"Knew this would come in handy some day" She smirked at the gang as they looked at the screen. Everyone sighed.

'Thank you Apple for creating the most stalker-ish app on the planet" Howard said.

"So...we know they're lying...must be one of their stupid experiments again" it made so much sense now.

"Buuut, they don't know we know..they are even more convinced that we do believe them" Penny had a brilliant idea 'so lets play them at their own game" She looked around the room at the gang, whom all had a mischievous grin on their face.


	6. Chapter 6

**Thank you so much for all the lovely reviews! I really appreciate it :) Sorry this isn't very long, but the next chapter will make up for that, promise. **

Sheldon and Amy checked into the hotel, where they had adjoining bedrooms. As Sheldon had booked the rooms, Amy didn't want to make a big deal out of it. They were here, and hypothetically married; that was enough for one day. They set their alarms for 10am so they could have a couple hours rest before the conference started at 11am. Amy was knackered so she fell asleep straight away, however Sheldon, who was not used to sleeping when the sun was up, found it hard to sleep. His mind was racing, taking in the past twelve hours. All the things that had happened, and what were to happen, was definitely not he expected to be doing this Sunday.

Sheldon dozed until 9:45, and he waited until 10 to knock on Amy's door. He heard her alarm go off and her rustling around.

"Amy" he called through

"Yes?" Amy replied

"Are you awake?"

"...yes"

"Ok, good" he grabbed his bag from his bed, went back to the door as Amy opened it.

"Hello, husband" Amy smiled up at him

"Hello...wife" Sheldon replied warily. He wasn't too good at 'pretending', especially with Amy.

Amy could see he was uncomfortable, so she grabbed his hand.

"Ready to go?" she smiled

"Yes, I am" they exited from Sheldon's room and walked hand in hand to the conference.

* * *

"Ok, so we all know the plan?" Penny asked

Leonard, Howard, Bernadette and Raj nodded in unison.

"Well, lets activate Plan Screw-With-The-Shamy" she picked up her phone and dialed an all important number.

* * *

"That was truly inspiring" Sheldon was beaming from ear to ear coming out of the first lecture. He hadn't said a word the entire time, which was a good thing. Amy had enjoyed it too, even if it was physics.

"It was very good" she agreed, glad that Sheldon was happy about coming.

They found a place to sit and look at the rest of the programme.

"Amy, there is a neuroscience talk beginning in ten minutes, would you like to go to that?" Sheldon queried.

Amy looked at the programme "But its on the same time as the monopoles discussion, you want to see that, right?"

Sheldon thought for a moment "No, I'd like to see the neuroscience talk with you, I can't imagine it would be anything special"

Amy smiled "thank you, Sheldon"

"It's the least I can do, you got us here"

* * *

"Ok, we will see you soon, bye!" Penny hung up and smiled to herself. Phase one was complete.

"Ok, phase one is on the go. Now to phase two...Raj?" she looked over to Raj who was concentrating on his laptop.

"It's already in place. I'm going to plan the greatest wedding party ever!" he grinned.

"Leonard, have you emailed the guests?" Penny asked Leonard.

"Email sent; just making the Facebook event now"

"Good" Penny picked up her phone "Howard and Bernadette, initiate phrase three" Penny commanded.

"Got that" Bernadette answered from Howard's car, en route to the store to pick up condiments, food and any decorations Raj sent them.

Penny sat back on the couch, satisfied with her plan. Amy and Sheldon didn't know they knew, so why not celebrate like they didn't know? Penny was sure they would crack from that. Neither of them could lie to their faces.

She texted Amy asking when they were coming home; and got a reply shortly after saying tomorrow morning.

"Good" she went to Leonard and made sure he had set the time correctly "we want everyone to be here before they arrive"

"I'm just glad I told everyone this was a set up, because I don't think anyone would come to a real party at 9 in the morning"

"Well, except one person" Penny grinned.

"Do you think that was too far?" Leonard asked

"Nope, I think it's just what the Shamy needs" Penny replied.

**Oooh! Who do you think is the 'one person'? Let me know what you think! **


	7. Chapter 7

**New chapter! Here is a cute Shamy chapter that I just needed to write in :) enjoy!**

Amy and Sheldon spent the next hour in the neuroscience lecture, which both Amy and Sheldon enjoyed. However, by the end Amy could feel her eyelids getting heavier and soon enough she was yawning.

"Would we be able to go back to the hotel to rest for a bit?" She asked Sheldon as they exited the lecture.

"Of course" he agreed "I am satisfied with our day, are you?"

"I am" Amy smiled "sooo..you're glad we came?"

Sheldon nodded "it's been a real eye opener for me, I'll be honest. I can't imagine two years ago I would have been able to just pack a bag and drive to another city without much though, but here I am, with you..and it feels..good"

Amy could feel tears forming at the corners of her eyes "that's brilliant Sheldon" her voice was shaky.

"I think you need to sleep, you're getting too emotional" Sheldon escorted her across the busy street to their hotel.

Sheldon left Amy at her hotel room door, where he went back to his room and spent some time answering emails. Then he remembered their experiment, so using his eidetic memory he recalled the responses of his friends and filed them in a word document. He wondered if he should call them to let them know it was an experiment, but something in him wanted to keep the charade to see how they would react when they arrived home. Plus, although he would never admit this to Amy, he actually kind of enjoyed being 'married' to her. The thought of being with one person for the rest of your life made him feel safe and comfortable.

An hour later, Amy knocked on Sheldon's door.

"Good evening" Sheldon answered the door.

"Likewise" Amy smiled brightly. She felt much better after her nap.

"Shall we have dinner?" Sheldon questioned.

Amy looked at her watch; it was 5:30pm which according to Sheldon time was approaching dinner time.

"Of course, anywhere you have in mind? It's Sunday so..pizza?" Amy asked as they walk down the corridor to the lift.

"I am flattered that you know my schedule so well, but I was thinking of having a picnic on the beach" Sheldon had been planning this as she was napping.

"You mean, the beach that looks onto Golden Gate Bridge?" Amy said hopefully.

"Yes, precisely" Sheldon pressed for the elevator. "We will get a takeout from a restaurant, use your emergency blanket in your boot as a rug and we will enjoy San Francisco"

Amy was beside herself. Sheldon was being so kind and romantic this trip!

"That sounds wonderful" Amy couldn't help but lean up and kiss him on the cheek. They were alone in the lift now so Sheldon didn't seem too bothered.

"Amy.."Sheldon began

"I'm sorry" she started "that was uncalled for..."

"No" he stopped her, looking into the mirror of the lift. The pair looked back, their eyes meeting sack other in the reflection. Sheldon's cheeks were blushing a faint red.

"...thankyou" was all he said, staring into Amy's eyes. They were taken out of their trance as the elevator door opened on the ground floor.

The pair walked down the road to downtown San Francisco, where they quickly found a restaurant that did take out. After Sheldon had done a hygiene check, he gave the menu to Amy and asked her to pick a meal. Amy chose a chicken salad, to which Sheldon actually ordered as well. Shortly after they were strolling down to the beach. The sky was drenched vanilla twilight, the sun setting on the day. They found a quiet spot where they placed the rug and themselves, looking onto the bridge. Amy had not seen it this close before, so she was glad Sheldon had this idea.

They spent their time eating, talking about the conference and their friends.

"Wonder what we will come home to tomorrow?" Amy pondered

"I'm pretty sure they will be filled with questions" Sheldon replied "so we have keep up our acting"

Therefore, because they realised they were not very skilled at acting, they went though the list of possible questions and came up with a story that could be believed. By then, the sun had set, the sky was a clear deep blue and the wind was picking up. Amy began to shiver. Sheldon noticed his girlfriend was cold, and being the gentlemen he was brought up as, offered her his coat to wrap around him. They were getting tired, but neither of them wanted to leave. It was all too perfect.

However, tiredness got the better of them and soon they were wandering back, hand in hand to their hotel.


	8. Chapter 8

**50 reviews! You are all too kind! Thanks again for the continued support :)**

Sheldon and Amy awoke early the next morning to get a head start on the traffic. Neither of them minded though, because they had gone to bed early that night after having not a lot of sleep the night before. Both of them were content and happy with the weekends events, and now they were excited to get home.

* * *

"Good morning Raj" Penny opened Leonard's apartment door to let him in. Raj was carrying a box full of decorations.

"Hello Penny, I am going to be very busy so no chatting for now" he said as he entered.

"No problem, I'm going to get the cake anyway" she explained "Leonard is still getting a shower but he should be out soon"

"Ok, bye" Raj waved to Penny as she left. He went to his box of decorations and grinned, excited to begin creating the perfect wedding party.

Meanwhile, Sheldon and Amy were making good time on the road. They had stopped for breakfast outside of San Francisco, which Sheldon didn't want to do but Amy convinced him otherwise.

"I think we should be in Pasadena at about 2pm" Sheldon told Amy.

"Excellent" she smiled "that gives us time to unpack and see our friends"

"I wonder what they've been up to?" Sheldon pondered.

"Down...ok up...ohh now it's slanted!" Raj was navigating Howard and Leonard put up a banner in the apartment. It had been five minutes of "no not there" and "that's too high", so Howard let go of the banner.

"Hey! Teamwork!" Raj glared at Howard.

"Really?! Because what it looks like is you making us your slaves!" Howard retaliated.

"Guys, it's a banner for a fake party...don't break friends over this" Leonard sighed.

"Fine" Raj took Howard's end and pinned it onto the wall "perfect"

"Right, that's the banner, balloons, the table with drinks is set up.." Howard checked off the list Raj had created "now all we need is the cake and the people"

"Good. Where are Sheldon and Amy?" Raj asked Leonard.

"Last time I checked they were two hours away" Leonard answered very proudly as it was his girlfriend who had worked out how to track them.

As they spoke Penny and Bernadette arrived with the cake. It was a two tier vanilla sponge masterpiece, with the words "congrats Amy and Sheldon" written on the top. The girls placed it on the drinks table.

"Wow" Raj was impressed "that's the most beautiful fake wedding cake ever!"

"I would ask if the cake was too far, but were already deep down the hole to turn around" Leonard laughed.

* * *

Turning off the freeway, Sheldon and Amy were ecstatic. They had travelled in record time, meaning they were half an hour early than expected.

"Would you like to come back to my apartment?" Sheldon asked Amy "seeing as though you are dropping me"

Amy agreed "I would like to see Penny, I'm sure they will be excited to see us" she smirked.

"Remember Amy, this is all in the experiment. Keep tabs on what she asks first and how she reacts" Sheldon reminded her.

"Of course" Amy said as they drove into Los Robles apartments.

Taking his overnight bag out of the boot as Amy got rid of rubbish, Sheldon couldn't help but feel so lucky Amy was his girlfriend. She had made all of this come true. Therefore, he only felt it right to give her a thankyou hug.

Amy walked back to Sheldon and was surprised when he dropped his bag and embrace her. He'd never initiated a hug before, which made it even more special.

"What was that for?" Amy asked as they pulled away.

"Just expressing my gratitude" Sheldon replied nonchalantly.

Amy smiled and held his hand. They walked up the stairs to Sheldon's apartment, both of them silent. Sheldon took out his key,opened the door and entered..

"SURPRISE!" A mass of people jumped out from corners of the room. There were banners and balloons shrewd everywhere. Penny came running up to a startled Sheldon and Amy.

"It's the newlyweds! Sheldon and Amy Cooper!" Everyone clapped and cheered.

'Oh god' Sheldon muttered, for he wasn't looking at Penny, or Kripke, or the huge cake on the table. No, he was looking into the far corner of the room, where his mother was standing with her arms crossed and a glare only Sheldon knew the meaning to. It meant 'you'd better run'.


	9. Chapter 9

**So..I'm stunned by the love this story has gotten and I am in a writing mood..so here's another chapter!**

"Ummm" Sheldon was stunned. What had his friends done? Why were they all here? Why was there a cake? Why was his mother here? He looked down to Amy who was also looking stunned, so clearly she wasn't apart of it.

"Smile!" Penny stuck a camera in their faces and the flash stunned them. Rubbing their eyes, the group before them laughed and music was turned up.

"Leonard, Penny...what is going on?" Sheldon walked up to the sniggering couple.

"Come here Sheldon!" Penny grabbed him into a tight hug "I'm just so happy for you!"

"For what?" He asked

"For your marriage, duh!" She pulled away looking at Amy whom was next to Sheldon "we were kind of annoyed you didn't tell any of us, but we decided to celebrate instead and surprise you!"

"Yes. You invited my mother?" Sheldon whispered

"We couldn't leave out your mother now could we? She was so...ecstatic when we phoned her!"  
Sheldon went pale. They had phoned his religious mother that he had gotten married in Las Vegas with no engagement or priest in sight.

"I'm sure she wants to talk to you" Leonard nodded over to her "I'm sure she want to congratulate you and meet her new daughter in law!"

This made Amy feel queasy. Her friends really believed they were married? This was not the reaction she had expected getting home. And Sheldon's mother was here! Suddenly she was very embarrassed and wanted the whole thing to be over.

"Just give us a moment" she grabbed Sheldon's arm "lets talk" she whispered, leading into his bedroom.

Closing the door behind him, Sheldon over heard Howard make some sexual remark which made him shudder.

"What the heck is going on?" Amy was exasperated.

"How should I know!" Sheldon sat on his bed "I didn't think they would have a party for us! And my mother! She is going to give me an earful which isn't even true!"

"We need to tell the truth" Amy sighed, sitting next to Sheldon "this can't go on"

"Agreed" Sheldon scooted up to Amy and tried to comfort her. He knew their experiment had got out of hand and they should have called it off after the initial text. It was him who wanted to experiment more, because in his heart he knew that this someday could be his future with Amy.

"I'm sorry Amy, I should have told the gang on the phone call" he sighed "I guess I'm just too bothered in science experiments"

"You?" Amy questioned "it was my idea, I was the one who wanted us to fake a wedding! I took it too far" she was sure Sheldon was going to distance from her again after this. She felt herself getting emotional and tears forming at the thought.

Sheldon looked down at Amy who was on the verge of tears. He needed to tell her.

"Amy, I need to be honest with you. I was unsure about conducting this experiment, but I ended up actually enjoying the idea that we could..be married one day..." He gulped "that's why I'm in the wrong. I took advantage of it"

Amy looked up at Sheldon. His eyes were heavy but she could see an honesty she had not seen before. She couldn't help but cry some more, because not even she had considered Sheldon would be thinking about marriage. Heck, he hardly thought about their date nights!

"Sheldon, that was the most wonderful thing you have ever said" Amy couldn't help but lean up and kiss his cheek like she had done in San Francisco. Unlike in San Francisco, Sheldon leaned down and kissed her right on the lips, taking his hands to her shoulders to balance. Amy closed her eyes and blocked out the noises from the living room and just enjoyed the moment. She felt Sheldon move away, so she pulled him closer with her arms on his shoulders.

He kissed her again, his mind was racing with thoughts that couldn't be put together, but he just let it happen. Amy kissed him back, her hands now running down his arms. Sheldon copied this movement and he felt Amy smile.

Amy felt his hands on her, so she deepened the kiss. Sheldon stopped momentarily but then relaxed and began again. Neither of them were experts, so they were each letting the other take turns to make a move. Sheldon leaned Amy down onto the bed and lay next to her. The closeness between them, their noses touching made Amy's mind whirl. She kissed him passionately, her hands intertwined with his as they lay side by side.

They were both out of breath, so they sat up and regained their senses. Amy could hear fainted conversations in the living room.

"We need to back out there, tell them the truth" Amy looked at a disheveled Sheldon.

"Yes" he rubbed his hair flat "we do" he didn't really know what he was going to say, his mind was too occupied on the last minutes events.

Opening the door, Amy heard footsteps getting louder and louder. As Sheldon joined her, they were stood face to face with a very red faced Mary.

"Sheldon Lee Cooper! I brought you up as a gentleman, and it's not acceptable to sin when you have company!" She scolded.

"Oh no, it's ok! We're not actually married" Amy said

Mary's eyes widened "WHAT! You're not!"

Everyone in the living room went silent.

"No, we're not! It was an experiment that's gotten out of hand! Please don't make me go to church!" Sheldon pleaded with his mother.

In the background, the gang were sniggering.

"What is it?" Amy asked.

"Ohhhhh you guys" Penny was in tears "you think you have us all worked out!"

Sheldon and Amy were confused.

"I'm sorry, what?" Amy pressed

"Yeah, we were screwing with you" Leonard took out his phone and opened the '_find my friends_ app' we knew you were in San Francisco all along"

Amy gasped along with Mary.

"We just wanted to have some fun with the Shamy" Penny smirked "which I think was successful by the looks on your face!" The whole party erupted into laughter.

"No!" Sheldon charged though the crowd formed in the hallway, taking Amy with him.

"Sheldon, what are you.."

"Just wait" he stood Amy in the middle of the room, the crowd gathered around them.

"Friends, colleagues, mother. It is with deepest regret that I can inform you that you are wrong, for tonight, I believe I have made my mind up" he bent down on his knee.

Amy was stunned "Sheldon, get up" she whispered.

"No, I need to do this" he took Amy's hands "Amy Farrah Fowler, I have had the chance to pretend to be married to you this weekend, and I can say to you now that the experiment was a success. I am fascinated and amazed by you everyday, and it's only after today seeing all our friends make a joke our of us that I think it's time the joke was on them"

"Now, I don't actually have a ring with me, but I hope this one with suffice" he took out of his pocket a collectible _lords of the rings_ ring he kept in his room "Amy Farrah Fowler, will you marry me?"

**What do you think? Let me know!**


	10. Chapter 10

Amy couldn't believe what was happening. A mere 15 minutes ago they had entered the apartment, and in that time she had been laughed at, she'd cried, she'd had the most romantic moment with Sheldon...and now he was proposing to her! She could barely keep herself standing as the crowd around her was silent, waiting for her answer. She looked down at Sheldon, hopefulness in his endearing eyes.

Of course she wanted to marry him! She loved him, even though she had not admitted that to anyone but herself. But did Sheldon? Was this all just a reaction to the days events? Did he really understand what he was asking. She wasn't sure. She didn't want to rush him into anything too soon, and she felt they had made progress this weekend she'd never dreamed of.

"Sheldon" she spoke up, her voice merely a whisper "are you sure?"

Sheldon's forehead creased "of course I'm sure! What do you take me for? I don't just propose to anyone like Leonard" Amy heard Leonard groan from behind her.

"So?" Sheldon met her eyes again.

Amy's heart raced "yes, I will marry you" she let out a huge sigh as everyone around them cheered. Penny ran up to Amy and gave her a hug, tears streaming down her face.

"Oh my Amy! I'm so happy for you!" She cried

"Thanks bestie" Amy was grinning from ear to ear, her friends now gathered around her. Sheldon was on the other side of the room with the guys.

"So, this is real?" Raj asked

"Yes, it is" Sheldon was gazing over to Amy "I am marrying Amy Farrah Fowler"

None of the guys knew what to say. They really didn't expect this to happen. Leonard patted Sheldon on the back.

"I'm proud of you buddy" Leonard said "maybe our fake party was just what you needed to step up"

"And did he step up!" A voice came from behind Leonard.

"Hello, mother" Sheldon met his mother who was now beaming.

"Look at you! My little Shelly proposing!" She was in tears "I was so distraught when your friends phoned and told me you had gotten married in Las Vegas, but when they explained to me they knew it was a hoax, I was nothing but angry..and relieved"

Sheldon stopped her "wait..you knew!?"

"I know it says in the bible to never tell lies, but I think lying to your son so he can works out the errors of his ways is perfectly acceptable" she held Sheldon with her hands "which it did!"

"I am glad I did not hurt our relationship, for I did not want to spend time in a church praying for my sins"

"But you will! That's where you will get married!" She smiled.

Darn it. Sheldon hadn't thought of that.

"We shall see" he decided to brush it over until another time. For now, he was just engaged, and that was fine for now.

And so, an actual party began, where the guests were genuinely pleased for Sheldon and Amy. The pair spent the night apart, both of them entertaining their friends. The guys ended up on the Xbox whilst the girls sat in the kitchen talking. Amy spoke some more to Sheldon's mother, whom she was actually warming to. She could understand why Sheldon didn't enjoy his childhood, that's for sure.

Around 8pm, everyone began to leave. Sheldon and Amy thanked their friends for what ended up being a perfect party, and Raj was beside himself. Mary was staying in a hotel that night then flying home the next day, so Sheldon and Amy arranged to meet her for breakfast before she left. Leonard took a tipsy Penny back to her apartment, so they were left alone.

Amy went up to Sheldon, who was putting away rubbish into a bin, and embraced him. Then, when she had his attention, pressed her lips onto his.

"What was that for?" He asked

"Because I didn't get to do it before" she replied

"I'm sorry if that wasn't how you wanted to be proposed to" Sheldon said

"Nope, it was perfect" Amy yawned "but parties are tiring"

"Indeed, I just wanted everyone to leave so it could just be you and I again" Sheldon confessed.

Amy was smitten "well, we have now" she went to sit on the couch.

"Yes, we do" Sheldon sat down on his spot "and I know just what to do"

Amy tilted her head "and what would that be?"

Sheldon smirked "counterfactuals"

Amy laughed "I couldn't think of anything better"

**Ok, I'm guessing this is the end, but I'm not sure. I don't want it to be, but I'm happy with this ending nevertheless :) What do you think?**


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